Motor control device, motor unit, and vehicle

Abstract

A motor control device includes a motor drive circuit including an upper arm and a lower arm, an arithmetic processor to control the motor drive circuit, an alternative circuit that can operate as a substitute to replace the arithmetic processor, and a mode switch to switch a control mode between a first control mode, in which the arithmetic processor controls the motor drive circuit, and a second control mode, in which the alternative circuit controls the motor drive circuit, based on a state of the arithmetic processor. The mode switch switches the control mode from the first control mode to the second control mode when a state of the arithmetic processor changes from a normal state to an abnormal state.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A motor control device, comprising:
 a motor drive circuit including an upper arm and a lower arm; 
 an arithmetic processor to control the motor drive circuit; 
 an alternative circuit that can operate as a substitute to replace the arithmetic processor; and 
 a mode switch to switch a control mode between a first control mode, in which the arithmetic processor controls the motor drive circuit, and a second control mode, in which the alternative circuit controls the motor drive circuit, based on a state of the arithmetic processor; wherein 
 the mode switch is operable to switch the control mode from the first control mode to the second control mode when a state of the arithmetic processor changes from a normal state to an abnormal state. 
 
     
     
       2. The motor control device according to  claim 1 , wherein the alternative circuit includes a first OR circuit, a second OR circuit, a matrix circuit, a first switch, and a second switch. 
     
     
       3. The motor control device according to  claim 2 , wherein
 the upper arm includes three upper switches; 
 the lower arm includes three lower switches; 
 the motor control device further comprises a U-phase upper gate driver, a V-phase upper gate driver, a W-phase upper gate driver, a U-phase lower gate driver, a V-phase lower gate driver, and a W-phase lower gate driver; 
 the U-phase upper gate driver is operable to output a first fault signal; 
 the V-phase upper gate driver is operable to output a second fault signal; 
 the W-phase upper gate driver is operable to output a third fault signal; 
 the U-phase lower gate driver is operable to output a fourth fault signal; 
 the V-phase lower gate driver is operable to output a fifth fault signal; and 
 the W-phase lower gate driver is operable to output a sixth fault signal. 
 
     
     
       4. The motor control device according to  claim 3 , wherein
 the first OR circuit is operable to receive input of the first fault signal, the second fault signal and the third fault signal, and calculate the OR of the first fault signal, the second fault signal and the third fault signal and outputs an upper arm fault signal indicating a result of the calculation to the matrix circuit; 
 the second OR circuit is operable to receive input of the fourth fault signal, the fifth fault signal and the sixth fault signal, and calculates the OR of the fourth fault signal, the fifth fault signal and the sixth fault signal, and output a lower arm fault signal indicating a result of the calculation to the matrix circuit. 
 
     
     
       5. The motor control device according to  claim 4 , wherein the matrix circuit is operable to output a first output signal to the first switch and output a second output signal to the second switch based on the upper arm fault signal input from the first OR circuit and the lower arm fault signal input from the second OR circuit. 
     
     
       6. The motor control device according to  claim 5 , wherein
 the first switch is operable to output an upper arm control signal to the mode switch; and 
 the second switch is operable to output a lower arm control signal to the mode switch. 
 
     
     
       7. The motor control device according to  claim 6 , wherein in the second mode, the upper arm control signal and the lower arm control signal control the motor drive circuit. 
     
     
       8. A motor assembly comprising:
 a motor; and 
 the motor control device according to  claim 1  to control the motor. 
 
     
     
       9. A vehicle comprising the motor assembly according to  claim 8 .